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joewein.de LLC
fighting spam and scams on the Internet
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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam
The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.
Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.
Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!
Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.
Click here to report a problem with this page.
Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:
- This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
- The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "dear sir/madam" (a standard Nigerian greeting phrase)
- This email message is a next of kin scam.
Fraud email example:
From: "from abu saleh" <abusaleh6@wkpx220vl.homepage.t-online.de>
Reply-To: <abusaleh200881@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 20:19:18 -0700
Subject: Goodday Sir/Madam
Dear Sir/Madam;
I am the Director of Bill and Exchange at the foreign remittance of a bank. I am writing to seek your cooperation over this business deal. In my Department, I discovered an abandoned sum of ($5.7m). In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in a plane crash that took place in Kenya , The account belongs to the Late DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY, a citizen of Atlanta , United States of America but naturalized in England and a contractor with
Ashanti Gold/ Anglo Gold. Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin or business associate to come and claim his money because it cannot be released unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or business associate to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately, all his supposed next of kin or relation died along with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. You can read more about the crash on visiting
this site; http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa /07/20/kenya.crash/index.html.
It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to your account as the next of kin or business associate.
The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remains dormant after Five years; the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund. The request for your assistance and maximum co-operation as a foreign citizen is highly needed to release this fund.
I will like us to share this money mutually on two equal halves between me and you. Please note that I dont have any asses to withdraw any cent from this money due to the money was insured by the owner DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY. I will indulge you at this point to understand that this is privileged information and must be strictly confidential. I will detail you more on receipt of your interest.
Please reply to this:
Best Regards.
Abu Saleh
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